


Often Gone Awry

by spentlizard



Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ava Starr Has Issues, Ava Starr Needs a Hug, Ava and Bucky have the best support group, Ava is a hardcore James Bond fan, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Baby Names, Bucky Barnes Has Issues, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky is mad at Steve, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Dumbass Steve Rogers, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, James Bond References, Married Couple, Married Life, Married Sex, Non-Canon Relationship, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Endgame, Pregnancy, Protective Bucky Barnes, Romance, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Scott Lang is a Good Bro, Scott is just trying to bake cookies, Slice of Life, Swearing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Unofficial Sequel, Unplanned Pregnancy, bucky is clueless, dumbass ex-assassins in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:41:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21951610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spentlizard/pseuds/spentlizard
Summary: Bucky and Ava prepare for the next step in their marriage.Or: Bucky tries not to have an aneurysm, Ava is obsessed with the James Bond movies, Sam tries to get Bucky to calm the fuck down, Scott is overaccommodating when it comes to baking things, and Luis just wants everyone to enjoy the Yuletide festivities. But in the Marvel Universe, even Christmas can't be normal.Unofficial sequel to "Best-Laid Schemes" by saiditallbefore.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Ava Starr, James "Bucky" Barnes & Sam Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Ava Starr, Scott Lang & Ava Starr
Kudos: 11





	Often Gone Awry

**Author's Note:**

  * For [saiditallbefore](https://archiveofourown.org/users/saiditallbefore/gifts).



The first time it comes up is on their wedding night. Well, given the circumstances in which they were wed it wasn't _technically_ a wedding, but that bit didn't much matter to them.

They don't quite know how they managed to stumble back to their Vegas hotel room, buzzed from the drinks they had earlier and engaged in an intense make-out session, but eventually they did. Shortly after they arrived there were clothes strewn across the floor, and both their marriage certificate and wedding photo lay haphazardly on the bedside table.

The two of them are out of breath as they pull the bedsheets over themselves.

"You're not wrong," Ava pants between breaths, "We _are_ pretty good at that."

Bucky laughs, and he's overcome with a sense of bliss. He can say, without doubt, that this is the happiest day of his whole life. All 106 years of it.

"Best part is that no one can guilt us since now we're... y'know," Bucky tells her with a smirk. Ava can't contain her own smile. Never in a million years could she have imagined this is where her life would end up, and she wouldn't trade it for anything.

She shifts herself to rest against his bare chest, and Bucky wraps his vibranium arm around her protectively. Ava doesn't mind in the slightest.

"We will have to get rings at some point, though," Ava said, "Nothing fancy, just something to say that we're spoken for."

"Then we'll do that tomorrow," Bucky told her, "Tomorrow we'll go and have breakfast, and then we'll see about a jeweler."

"And afterwards we can go play blackjack? I've always wanted to play blackjack," Ava tilted her head back to get a good look at her new husband.

"If you want, sure," Bucky smiles, "Oh, and I just remembered I forgot to give you a wedding present."

Ava smirks mischievously.

"I had an idea about that," Ava teased, "Three girls and three boys, what do you think?"

Bucky's eyes widened and his face reddened, and he looked down at Ava in great confusion. Ava in turn craned her neck to face Bucky directly.

"Um..." Bucky began, looking a little flustered, "I can't tell whether you're being serious or not."

Ava laughed, and said, "I'm kidding! It's just a line from a movie I watched."

_"Ooooh,"_ Bucky says in realization, feeling his face become less hot, as Ava readjusted herself. But in that moment he begins to think about what she just said. In the entire time he had known Ava, this was the very first time the topic of kids had ever been brought up in any way, shape, or form. Even before HYDRA, he never pictured himself as a father. Then again he never pictured himself being married to the most beautiful woman on God's green earth who was, what, seventy? Eighty years his junior? So anything was possible.

Still, he doesn't dwell on the topic for too long, and then asks her, "What movie?"

"One of the James Bond movies, I think. Can't remember which one," Ava says, "Ever watch them?"

"Eh, I never really got into movies," Bucky says, and it's not a complete lie. He can only recall watching a handful of films in his youth, back when black-and-white film was a thing, and even then it didn't really appeal to him. He does remember enjoying _Wizard of Oz_ , though.

_"Really?"_ Ava says, sounding quite surprised herself. She reached over to their bedside table and grabbed the remote to the TV.

"What're you doing?" Bucky asked her.

"Educating you in a little history, dear husband," Ava said, sitting upward and scrolling through the movie guide and finding _Dr. No_ in the searchlist. Smiling, she pressed play.

"I used to watch these movies all the time when I was a kid," Ava told Bucky, which was true. She used to watch these with her parents before-

"So who's James Bond?" Bucky asked his wife, thankfully interrupting her unpleasant thoughts, readjusting himself to sit up.

"Only the most badass British secret agent ever," Ava smirked. She still hadn't told him about her past with SHIELD, and at this point she thought it best to let sleeping dogs lie.

The gun barrel sequence came up, and Sean Connery shot into the would-be assassin as the theme music blared.

"Hmm," Bucky asked, becoming intrigued, "How many of these are there?"

"I dunno, maybe... twenty? Twenty-something?" Ava ventured a guess.

"Good God," Bucky commented. This was going to be a long one. But hey, it was worth it to see Ava smile.

Any thoughts about how they arrived here were quickly forgotten.

* * *

Months had passed, and by then Bucky and Ava had learned of their respective pasts in espionage, thanks in no small part to Scott and Sam's antics. It took some time, but after some mental processing and a few explosives, they had more or less forgiven each other for their respective secret-keeping. Now they were in the process of getting back to a new kind of normal.

Well, as normal as they could be anyway for a brainwashed super-soldier and a walking lab-accident.

That all changed around mid-April when Ava discovered she was late. Not late in the sense of "I'm late for a meeting!" or "I'm late for the bus!" or anything so mundane.

It was the _late_ kind of late.

"Shit," Ava cursed, "Shit, shit, shit, shit, _shit!"_

When _it_ hadn't come last month, Ava paid it no mind at first. Now it was the next month, but she still paid it no mind on the first day. Not even on the second day, or even the third. But by the fourth she was starting to get really worried something was amiss.

So, while Bucky was out at the store picking up groceries, Ava snuck out to the nearest pharmacy, hoping that Scott wouldn't pop up around the corner trying to surprise her at the _absolute worst time_ because if he did she couldn't be held accountable for her actions.

She walked into the first pharmacy she found and picked up around half a dozen tests. She didn't even look the cashier in the eye as she made her purchase.

Her nerves were a jumbled mess as she quickly walked back to her and Bucky's apartment. It didn't seem like he was back yet, so Ava figured she should do this now while she could.

She locked the bathroom door and read the instructions on the boxes. She did all six tests at once, not looking at any until she was sure enough time had passed for them all to have an answer.

Ava took a deep breath and picked the first test up off the counter.

There was a big, blue plus sign staring her right in the face, its bright hue mocking her.

Ava picked up the next test. Another plus.

She looked at the rest and the answers were all the same.

_Fuck._

In spite of everything, Ava did not cry. She wanted to but found herself unable to do so. Her anxiety was through the roof, however, and she didn't know how to respond to this.

She absentmindedly rested her hand against her stomach. She didn't dare think why.

"Oh boy," Ava finally spoke aloud, the realization of her situation becoming clear to her.

This news completely blindsided her, as this hadn't even been _discussed_ nevermind planned. She was just starting to get her life together, and things had been going terrific between her and Bucky over the past few months.

And now, that little blue plus threatened to undo all their progress. How in the hell were they supposed to take care of a _baby?_

Ava was internally freaking the fuck out and she had no idea what to do. She did know that, no matter what, she had to tell Bucky. He deserved to be the first to know.

Some time later, Bucky returned home with the groceries and started putting them away. Ava came downstairs from their bedroom, and Bucky said, "Hey, Av. How's it going?"

"Fine," Ava lied. Thing could not be farther from fine.

"I got that cottage cheese like you were asking, had to haggle a bit with the vendor, but... it's good," Bucky said, putting stuff in their fridge.

Soon that would have to be filled with milk bottles and food and-

"You alright?" Bucky said, turning towards her, noticing something was off.

"Can I tell you something, Bucky?" Ava asked.

"Of course, you can tell me anything," Bucky responded, his attention focused solely on his wife. He approached her and put his hands gently on her shoulders.

"What's going on?" Bucky asked gently.

Ava gulped.

"There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it," Ava stated, "Bucky... I'm pregnant."

Bucky's heart skipped a beat in that moment. Were his ears lying to him or did Ava just say...?

"W- what?" Bucky asked, his face turning red once again, "You're..."

"Pregnant," Ava finished for him, "With child, up the duff, all the euphemisms."

Bucky blinked, and his gaze instantly lowered down to Ava's still-flat stomach.

"How long have you..." Bucky trailed off again.

"I only just found out today," Ava said, swallowing again as she felt butterflies inside her.

"Wow," Bucky said with bated breath, "That's... uh..."

Ava was becoming nervous at what his reaction would be.

"That's wonderful," Bucky said, his lips turning into a smile as he looked back in her direction.

"Really?" Ava asked him, the corners of her lips hinting at a smile of her own.

"Yes, really," Bucky said, "This is... _wow._ Oh my God, I... how do you feel about all this?"

"I..." Ava began, but she hesitated. Truth be told she was still terrified. She didn't know the first thing about how to raise a kid. She had lost her own parents at a young age so she didn't really have a good role model for parenting. But seeing Bucky's reaction, the way his eyes lit up when she told him he was going to be a father, gave her newfound confidence in what she wanted to do.

"I want this," Ava told him, tears of joy finally streaming from her emerald eyes.

Bucky wrapped his arms tightly around his wife, and Ava returned the embrace. They still had a long way to go in figuring out themselves, but perhaps this baby would give them the chance to start anew, to create a better life than the ones they had to live.

* * *

May came, and by then Bucky and Ava had yet to share their secret with anyone. They knew that sooner or later people would start asking questions, but for now they liked the anonymity they had about it. It gave them time to adjust to the situation for certain, and now they felt rather comfortable with what the future would bring.

One night, the pair of them were lying on their sofa watching a movie ( _Live & Let Die,_ as per Ava's resolution to show her husband all the James Bond films he missed while he was brainwashed and/or dead), and Ava was holding a bowl of popcorn covered in chocolate syrup. Bucky declined having any, not like Ava was really offering anyway.

This would prove to be an interesting nine months to say the least.

They had reached the point where Tee-Hee Johnson used his metal pincer-arm to bend the barrel of Bond's pistol, and Bucky snorted after the henchman handed the gun back to Bond.

"Even if that arm's made of titanium, there's no way he has any nerve control," Bucky commented, "No one could crush a Walther PPK like that."

"It's just a movie, Buck," Ava told him, her eyes fixated on the screen as she put more popcorn into her mouth.

"I get that, but you gotta admit it's a little far-fetched," Bucky says, to which Ava replies, "Bold talk from the elderly man with the vibranium arm to the woman who can walk through walls."

"Av, come on now," Bucky complains.

"Just shut up and enjoy the movie," Ava says.

"Alright," Bucky relents, "But I have to say that the PPK is a pretty shit gun. And I say this speaking from expe-"

"Shhh!" Ava hushes him, and Bucky stops. Either she was more passionate about these spy movies than he thought, or the pregnancy hormones are starting to get to her. He can't decide which is worse.

A sudden _thud!_ echoes in their apartment causing the both of them to leap up in surprise. At first they think it might be an intruder, but it only takes a moment for the pair of them to realize who it might be.

"Laaaaaaaaaang," the both of them groaned at the same time. Can't that idiot learn how to use a fucking door?

Ava set her bowl of popcorn down and said, "If he didn't bring food this time, I swear to God I'm gonna kill him."

Bucky didn't argue.

Ava rushes over to the kitchen to see Scott, dressed again in that stupid costume outside of their window.

Her bad mood starts to go away when she sees he has a bag of food.

Opening the window, Scott clambers through, pops off his helmet, and says "Hey guys, what's up? I brought chicken sandwiches."

"Where are they from? Actually, you know what? Don't care," Ava says, snatching the bag from Scott's grasp as she hurried back to the living room.

Scott merely blinked.

"Uhhh, what just happened?" Scott asked Bucky.

"It's not important," Bucky said, brushing it off, "What're you doing here?"

"Oh, well, Cassie's with my ex and her husband this weekend, and Hope and her parents went over to Stockholm to visit some old Eastern European scientist friend whose name I won't try to pronounce for fear of sounding racist," Scott said to him, stopping to catch his breath, "Anyway, I thought I'd drop by, see how you guys are doing."

"Well, er, we appreciate it," Bucky says, feeling a little awkward at the moment, "Right now we're watching a movie-"

"Oh! That's excellent. Can I join you, or is that gonna be too much of a bother?" Scott asked. Bucky knew his presence wasn't really expected, but he feels he would be the asshole if he just threw him out now. Besides, he had brought food that Ava was going to town on currently.

"Not a bother," Bucky told him, and he and Scott went out into the living room to see 007 blowtorching a tarantula and Ava on her second sandwich. Ava paused when she saw them enter and saw Scott was still here.

"Hey," she awkwardly waved at him, "Thanks for the sandwiches, by the way. Sorry I just took the whole bag from you."

"No biggie," Scott said as Bucky sat back down next to Ava, "Someone must've been hungry."

"Someone definitely was and still is," Ava said, talking through another bite.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you must be eating for two," Scott began, "I remember when my ex was-"

Scott looked down at the two of them to find them staring at him with eyes the size of saucer plates, and he immediately stopped talking as his own eyes went wide in realization.

_"Oh,"_ Scott remarked, like something had clicked in his head, _"Oooooooooooh."_

"Oh for God's sake," Ava placed her face in her palms. Bucky pursed his lips. They knew it was only a matter of time before he found out. With overactive paternal instincts like his, they wonder how Hope puts up with him.

"Um... congrats?" Scott offered, realizing what was going on here.

"We would prefer to keep this private for now," Bucky told him plainly.

"Scout's honor," Scott nodded and gave a funny-looking salute, and then he slinked back into the corner of the room and into a chair, feeling that he was perhaps a bit of a bother. He remained silent until the end where Dr. Kananga blew up like a balloon.

Both he and Ava laughed. Bucky blinked at the ridiculousness.

"I was sure the shark was going to get him," Bucky spoke up, "Why show it if it didn't mean anything?"

"Reverse-Chekhov's Gun, buddy," Scott replied. Ava rolled her eyes.

* * *

Scott's behavior around them had changed over the next few weeks. The last few times Bucky and Ava had seen him he'd be apologizing over every minor inconvenience ranging from coffee temperature to how loud his breathing was. They both knew why, of course, but they felt he was just a tad overbearing.

Bucky believes that he was only trying to be helpful. Ava voted for punching Scott in the nose if he kept it up.

June meant the beginning of summer, meaning that the weather would begin getting hotter. But that wasn't the only thing that was changing.

Ava stepped out of the shower one morning and began dressing. When she started pulling on a pair of jeans, she discovered that she wasn't able to button them properly. She fussed for a few moments before giving up, realizing what this meant.

Dressed only in her undergarments, Ava stood in front of the mirror and turned to the side. She gasped when she saw that her stomach was protruding ever so slightly. To anyone who wasn't looking for it, it would go unnoticed. Of course she had experienced other symptoms such as cravings and fatigue, but Ava, astonished, took this as the first tangible sign of her pregnancy.

"Bucky!" she called downstairs, and the super soldier quickly hastened up to their bedroom and over to her.

"Yeah?" Bucky asked.

"I'm showing," Ava told him with a smile.

Bucky was at a loss for words. Ava found it absolutely adorable. He looked like a puppy playing fetch for the very first time. Of course if she ever told him that it would damage his ego.

He rests his flesh-and-blood hand over her belly. This wasn't just an idea anymore; there was an actual baby growing inside her at this very moment. Their baby. Someone that would be depending on the both of them in a few months' time.

_This is fucking crazy._

Ava rests her hand overtop of his, and then says "We're also going to need some new clothes. There's no way I'm going to be wearing sweats for the next six months."

Bucky laughs.

* * *

When July comes, Bucky and Ava realize they couldn't afford to keep their secret for much longer. For one, they needed to check with Bill, Hank, and Janet that their baby was okay and developing well. Given that their father was a super soldier created by HYDRA and their mother had been afflicted with molecular disequilibrium since youth, they wanted to know if this would have any negative impacts on their child's health. They prayed to whatever gods there were in the universe that that wouldn't be the case.

For another, they wanted to tell everyone before Scott blurted it out by accident. They suspected he had already told Hope because she was now more courteous around them in meetings and calling to check in on them a few times a week.

"That's it, I'm breaking Scott's nose," Ava had said one day.

Fortunately, the Fourth of July was coming up soon, and Scott was hosting a party at his place and inviting everyone he knew. They figured that was as good a time as any to tell everyone the big news.

(Scott tried phoning the rest of the Avengers but the only one that agreed to come was Sam. Everyone else, _ahem,_ politely declined.)

"Even Sam wouldn't miss Lang's party," Bucky had told Ava the day before while folding laundry together, "He might be an asshole, but he's the good kind of asshole."

"Sounds like an oxymoron if there ever was one," Ava said back. She didn't know Sam particularly well outside of two or three encounters a few months back.

"Trust me, sometimes he just has a stick up his ass. That's like a core trait when you're Captain America," Bucky reassured her, mocking Sam's new moniker mostly because Sam himself hated it.

"I suppose," Ava responded, "Hey, speaking of which, it's your friend Steve's birthday tomorrow too, right?"

Bucky suddenly paused from folding the white T-shirt in his hands and remained still for a moment.

"It sure is," Bucky told her, and he started folding again.

"I would've thought for as close as you guys are you'd be spending some time together," Ava offered.

"I thought so too," Bucky told her with an undercurrent of frustration in his voice, "But hey, it's no big deal. We got Lang's party to go to tomorrow, and that's where we planned to tell everyone about the baby."

Though that was true, Bucky wasn't being 100% honest with her. Truth be told, Bucky had not spoken with Steve much in the past year after he'd gotten back from his time-travel escapades.

You know, after returning the Infinity Stones when he decided to live out his life with a woman he had already buried six feet under the ground.

But it wasn't a big deal. Bucky hadn't forgotten about his birthday after all; just the other day he mailed a special bottle of Augsburg schnapps to his home in Brooklyn along with one of those birthday cards for senior citizens you can get at dollar stores. So at least one of them hadn't forgotten.

Bucky didn't fret about it. He had his wife and their unborn child to occupy his attention nowadays. Steve Rogers was a mere relic of a past that apparently didn't matter to him.

Around midafternoon on the Fourth of July, Bucky and Ava arrived at Scott's house bringing along a bag of corn chips and mocktail mix. Ava chose to wear one of Bucky's old shirts to cover up her belly, which in a few short weeks had grown from a small swelling to a rather prominent bulge.

Bucky thought it made her look sexy. Ava made her hand intangible and threatened to pull out his spine. Bucky kept his mouth shut the entire drive over.

Scott greeted them at the front door with, "Hey, guys! So glad you could make it. You're actually the first ones to show up here today."

"Oh boy," Bucky said under his breath. Now they were going to be stuck with Scott until everyone else arrived. Which under normal circumstances would be fine, but ever since Scott had discovered they were expecting he was constantly hovering.

Tonight was no exception. He was asking about how far along Ava was, if they knew the sex yet, what they were going to do about clothes, and more. Bucky felt himself having to restrain Ava at one point so she wouldn't pulverize him.

Thankfully, the other guests arrived shortly afterwards. Scott's teenaged daughter, Cassie, came along with his ex-wife and her husband. The Pym family soon after them, accompanied by Bill who was in the middle of a discussion with Hank (having to do with quantum mechanics no doubt). Sam arrived carrying a 24-pack of beer, and Ava pouted since she hadn't been able to drink in months. Bucky, thankfully, had chosen to go without drinking himself, and Ava was grateful for that.

"That everyone, then?" Sam asked Scott, to which he replied, "Almost. We're just missing-"

_La Cucaracha_ blared from a car's horn, and everyone except for Scott groaned.

"Oh, Jesus. Not those wombats," Hank slipped his hand under his glasses.

Luis, Kurt, and Dave came into the house carrying boxes of fireworks, pizza, and frozen steaks. (Where the hell did they get the money for a dozen filet mignons?)

" _Wassuuuuuuuup!?"_ Luis greeted, "Hey I know we're a little bit late, right, but you see, I was talking with my cousin Jason, but not like my actual cousin more like a friend who is more of a cousin than a friend, and he was at this bowling tournament where he-"

"For the love of God, do you ever stop talking?" Ava blurted. Luis immediately shut up. He never stopped rambling once he got started, but Ava still scared him after all these months.

"Luis, stop angering Baba Yaga," Kurt pulled back on his shoulder, "Not good for health."

Ava slapped her palm against her forehead.

Soon enough they were all in Scott's backyard, and Scott and Bucky decided to cook the steaks together while everyone else helped themselves to pizza to start.

"Hey," Scott spoke in a low voice, "so you're planning on telling everybody about Baby WinterGhost tonight?"

Bucky blinked. "Winter _what?"_

"Oh, it's the ship name I've given you and Ava," Scott said, "Though I haven't really told anyone so I guess it's not really a ship name yet. But I have a couple others if that doesn't work."

"What are you-"

"PhantomArm, Bava, WolfStarr - wait that one's taken by the Harry Potter fandom - ooh! I got it: StarrBucks!" Scott said enthusiastically.

Bucky looked about ready to punch him.

"Note to self: no StarrBucks," Scott attempted to save face.

"To answer your question, yes. We're just looking for the right moment. Maybe before the fireworks," Bucky told him.

A short while later, the steaks were cooked and served to everyone. Cassie had gotten full after eating about half her steak, and Ava, who had been sitting next to her, asked "Are you going to finish that?"

Cassie looked down at Ava's plate to find it empty, which was odd since nobody had finished theirs yet. Hesitant at first, Cassie began saying "Sure, go ahead," but she hardly got the first word out before Ava grabbed the steak and started eating it with ravenous hunger - after topping it with honey mustard.

"Mmm, this is _delicious,"_ Ava commented. Bucky cleared his throat. Cassie blinked.

After dinner was finished, Luis, Dave, and Paxton began setting up the fireworks. They could hear some going off across town so this was prime time.

Before the first rocket could be lit, Bucky tapped his vibranium hand against the glass holding his mocktail mix, but somehow he had managed to break the glass from a few taps.

"Oh damn," Bucky winced, setting it back down on the dinner table. Ava then came up alongside as everyone's attention was directed at them.

"Hello everyone," Bucky began, "Sorry I broke your glass, Scott."

Scott waved him off as if to say no problem.

Bucky took a deep breath, and then said, "We've had a great time tonight, but before we go any further we have some news we'd like to share with you."

His pulse was racing. Ava's too. His fleshy fingers wrapped around Ava's as they both smiled nervously.

"Ava, would you like to tell them?" Bucky asked of her. Ava didn't need to respond.

"I'm pregnant," she told them all.

A moment of silence passed, followed by Dave saying, "Well, shit."

Janet and Cassie cupped their hands over their mouths. Scott, Hope, and Sam were all smiling. Hank, Bill, Luis, Kurt, Paxton, and Maggie all looked wide-eyed.

Sam started laughing, "Hey, congrats to you guys!"

He came forward and nearly squished Bucky in a bear hug.

"Shit, man, you're gonna be a dad!" Sam told him, patting Bucky on the back. Bucky wasn't sure if he was comfortable at the moment, "Good for you!"

Sam pulled away, and then Kurt said, "Oh no. Little Baba Yaga."

Kurt then cowered behind Luis. Ava snorted with laughter.

Everyone else came and offered their congratulations, but when it was Bill's turn he said, "How far along are you now?"

"About fourteen weeks," Ava replied, "Why?"

"Look, I know it's not my place to question what you want, but you both have... unusual... DNA, and that kid is gonna get half of each," Bill began, "You should have talked with me or Hank sooner about this, maybe we could've done something to help if there were any issues."

"We were just waiting for the right time," Bucky inserted.

"There's never a right time when dealing with quantum-altered genetics," Bill told him sternly, "Best case scenario it could lead to miscarriage."

Ava rested a hand over her stomach protectively, looking quite alarmed.

"What do we do then?" Bucky said.

"I'm not an OB/GYN, but I do know quantum mechanics," Bill explained, "We'll have to set up regular appointments to make sure that whatever affected you guys doesn't affect the baby."

They agreed to meeting the next day to plan their next steps. Bucky and Ava were now more terrified than they had been. They had their concerns, sure, but what Bill said had put them into full-blown panic mode. Their child could very possibly inherit Ava's molecular condition, or be corrupted by HYDRA's pseudo super-soldier serum.

But the one thing they took comfort in was that it was no longer just their secret. They had people that knew about this and were prepared to help them in any way they could. Come what may, they knew they would make it through this, and so would their child.

As the fireworks began to go off, the two momentarily forgot their fears for the future. All they could think about was that this was the best fucking Fourth of July ever.

The fact that it was Steve Rogers' birthday didn't even enter Bucky's head.

* * *

August came and brought the heat with it, and in California it was becoming unbearable. Ava was nearing her fifth month of pregnancy, and it was beginning to take its toll on her body.

Due to having dealt with chronic pain for twenty-some years, Ava hadn't experienced morning sickness or cramping at all. But her breasts had become swollen and tender to the touch, she was constantly having weird cravings (she had asked Bucky to get her cherry pie filled with jalapenos just last week), and her belly had grown so much that she was having difficulty standing herself up without help.

The heatwave wasn't helping things one bit.

But Ava knew she had dealt with far worse. She could deal with a few more months of this. Besides, it was a comforting sentiment to know that it was all going towards something in the end.

She was still worried about the future, but if she had to be honest she was actually very excited about all this. In just a few short months, she would be a mother, and Bucky would be a father (which really surprised her because he would be setting a record for oldest first-time dad at over a century old). Their little baby would be nestled safely in her arms. They would be loved completely and unconditionally, and Bucky and Ava would ensure they would want for nothing.

Right now she and Bucky were doing another checkup with Bill who was trying to detect if there were any quantum anomalies with the baby. So far there had been none, but Bill just wanted to be sure that it would stay that way. As a precaution, he encouraged Ava to not use her powers for fear of how it would affect the baby. Ava understood this from the very beginning but still used her arms to grab stuff without opening doors every now and again (a trick Bucky found never got old).

Once Bill had done his routine checkup, Bucky and Ava decided now was the time to ask him something they'd been wondering for weeks.

"Could we possibly know the sex?" Bucky had asked.

"Sure thing," Bill said, consulting his information for a moment, "It appears that you're having..."

Bill double-checked his information. This wasn't his specialty after all, so he wanted to be sure he was right.

"Ah, I see. Looks like it's a girl," he said.

The married couple froze, letting the news sink in. Ava covered her mouth in awe. Bucky's jaw dropped.

A girl.

They were going to have a _daughter._

Not that they were picky about the sex either way, but now they had confirmation that they were creating an actual human being. Now they could start calling the baby "her" instead of "it."

"Oh my God," Ava said with tears of joy streaming down her face. Bucky's legs felt they were made of jelly and he felt himself about to keel over.

"James, we're having a girl!" Ava exclaimed, looking towards her husband. Bucky couldn't have been happier than he felt at that moment. He was going to be the father of a little girl, someone who would eventually grow up into a strong woman.

He felt himself about to burst with excitement. After they finished up and started driving home, Bucky pulled out his phone and started dialing in Steve's number to tell him the good news.

But he hesitated right before he hit "call." He still hadn't spoken to Steve after all this time, even when he and Ava were no longer keeping secrets from everyone else. Why had he suddenly gotten the urge to call him?

Instinct, he supposed. But it was all in the past now.

Bucky closed his phone and kept on driving.

* * *

Ava's birthday was in September, and Bucky wanted to do something special for her. Well, not traditionally special, but special in the way he knew best and knowing Ava would appreciate it.

At six months pregnant, Bucky thought she looked absolutely radiant. Ava had always been beautiful in his eyes, but now that they were wed and expecting a daughter in a few months' time, he found that he couldn't stop looking at her.

Of course he wouldn't actually say anything _aloud_ to her about it. Ava was very self-conscious about her image these days, and Bucky didn't want to risk setting her off. Especially not on her birthday.

On the day of her 30th birthday (which would've been 34 had Thanos never happened), Bucky planned on taking her out to a fancy restaurant in downtown San Francisco and afterwards returning home to watch another one of the James Bond movies. They were starting to grow on him.

But Bucky heard Ava complaining while the both of them were getting ready. He went over to her to find her standing in front of the mirror wearing her red satin maternity dress with the back zipper still down.

"Ugh! Nothing fits anymore!" Ava frowned, and Bucky said, "So we make another run for clothes, no big deal."

"It's not that Buck, it's just... ah forget it. Zip me up, will you?" Ava asked, and Bucky grabbed the zipper and tried pulling up with difficulty.

"It... won't... _budge,"_ Bucky grunted. He was a super soldier for God's sake and he couldn't even zipper a woman's _dress?_

"Your child doesn't seem like she wants to cooperate," Ava teased him.

"Oh, so when she causes a problem, suddenly she's 'my child' and not 'our child?' Fuck, we sound like a Hollywood cliché," Bucky almost laughed. Ava did the same.

"That might be, but you're still the one that did this to me. Now I can't fit in a dress right for _one night,"_ Ava placed her hands on her swollen belly.

"We can make it work, we always do," Bucky reassured her, but Ava scoffed.

"Says you. I look like a whale," Ava mock-pouted.

"You don't look like any whale I know, and I've actually been to SeaWorld," Bucky told her.

"I'm a whale, James. Stop lying," Ava rolled her eyes.

"Well then you're the most beautiful whale I've ever seen," Bucky said, stopping trying to work the zipper and wrapping his arms around her middle.

"Ohoho! _That's_ your idea of compliment?" Ava cocked her head back to look at him. Bucky leaned in and placed a kiss on her lips. He then pulled back and gazed upon her.

"No," Bucky smiles, "This is."

He kisses her again, and then traces kisses from her face down her neck and onto her shoulderblade. Ava is delighted at the sensation as she feels excitement brewing inside her. Bucky's arms raise themselves from her belly up to the straps of her dress and pulls them down.

"Fuck it, we'll get takeout," Ava speaks through intense breathing. She turns around and crashes her lips into Bucky's, enveloping him in a passionate embrace.

Bucky manages to lift off his shirt while Ava pulls down his pants, and the both of them stumble into their bed completely naked. They continue to kiss with breathless lust as their animal instincts start to kick in. Ava rolls down onto the bottom and Bucky gets on top of her; sex was becoming trickier as the months went on so they had to find ways around it.

"Inside me. Now," Ava says. It isn't a suggestion.

Later on, they got dressed in their bedclothes and headed downstairs to watch a movie. Before either of them could put on _License to Kill_ (Bucky rather liked _The Living Daylights_ and Timothy Dalton's interpretation of Bond, and he was looking forward to however many more there were with him), Bucky had yet to give Ava her official birthday present.

"Are you saying _that_ was just previews?" Ava pointed up above them and winked. Bucky laughed.

"You could say that, yeah," Bucky said, "But I have something for you. Here."

He pulled out a package from behind his back to reveal a small case. Curious, Ava took the container and sat down on the couch, Bucky soon joining her.

Ava opened the case, and gasped when she saw-

"Walther PPK/S 9mm Short," Bucky told her, "Same kind of gun James Bond uses."

Ava's eyes widened. Not that she had really asked for (or even _wanted_ ) a gun, she was surprised that that was Bucky's idea of a birthday present. She considered herself a Bond fan, but not to _this_ extreme.

"Wow," Ava said, at a loss for words, "I- I don't know what to say..."

"I know it's an unusual gift, but that's not even the best part," Bucky explained, "Hold the gun in your hand and make your hand invisible."

"Why?" Ava asked him.

"You'll see," Bucky smiled, and Ava, somewhat reluctantly, agreed. Picking up the pistol, she held the lightweight weapon in her hand and then focused her energies on turning her arm invisible. When she did, she saw that the gun, like her arm, vanished.

"What the _hell?"_ Ava looked astonished. She had never been able to make _any_ object invisible apart from herself. What was this?

"I talked with Bill and Janet about this. They did some quantum tinkering and they were able to make this gun compatible with your DNA, so you can take it with you whenever you decide to go back on missions again. After the baby's born, of course."

Ava hadn't given much thought about returning to the field since discovering she was pregnant. Not that she wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, but felt like now was her chance for normalcy instead of returning to the weirdness of her universe.

Nevertheless, she began appreciating Bucky's gift to her more. This would come in handy, no doubt about that. If need be, she would use it to protect her family.

"I love it," Ava told her husband, making her hand and the gun visible once more. Setting it aside, the both of them curled up and started watching the next adventure of 007.

* * *

"Come on, man. It's tacky."

"Ava'll love it."

"You didn't wear a tux on your goddamn _wedding day_ but you're wearing it for Halloween?"

"It's part of my costume."

"And who are you going as? James Bond?"

"Well, yes actually."

Sam blinks at Bucky's response. _You gotta be fucking kidding me._

"What?" Bucky defends, "Ava loves the Bond movies. I thought it'd be cool."

"You look like a monkey in that suit. Get a haircut or something, man," Sam whines, taking a sip of his beer.

"I'm fine just as is," Bucky tells him.

"Yeah? Good luck with that," Sam shakes his head, "Speaking of, how are she and the baby?"

"Good, they're both good," Bucky tells him, "Kid won't stop kicking around in there."

"Damn man, I gotta tell you," Sam begins, "I'm really proud of you, and really scared for you too. I mean, you're going to be somebody's _dad_ in about three months."

"Two," Bucky corrects him, "Baby Barnes is expected to debut sometime before New Years'. Believe me, I'm fucking terrified about it too."

"Yeah," Sam says, "So do you got a name picked out yet?"

"Still working on it," Bucky tells him, "I don't care what she's called as long as she gets Ava's eyes. I mean, how are they so _green?"_

"Dunno man, that's some cosmic stuff right there," Sam smiles and takes another drink.

"Hey, you tell Steve you're having a girl yet?" Sam asks.

Bucky shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

"You haven't even _told him_ about it yet!?" Sam looked incredulous, "You fucking dumbass!"

"It's my business to tell and not tell him whatever I like," Bucky told him sternly.

"Why wouldn't you? You're his best friend after all," Sam told him.

"Not for the past eighty years of _his_ life I wasn't," Bucky sounded angry.

A beat.

"Man, Bucky…" Sam began.

"Did he ever tell you what the names of his kids were? When was the last time he called you? Hmm?" Bucky asked, starting to sound furious. Sam kept his mouth shut.

"He decided we weren't enough for him, chose to go back in time to marry some girl that had long since forgotten about him," Bucky was becoming more and more upset.

"That's all in the past," Sam finally said.

"And so is he," Bucky declared, "As far as I'm concerned, Steve Rogers died the same day Tony Stark did."

Bucky stormed out of the bar they were in and headed back home. The trick-or-treaters would be coming soon, and Bucky felt it was time to start getting ready.

He put on his tuxedo and slicked his hair back, and then saw Ava lounging on the sofa reading a magazine. She looked up when he entered the room and saw how well-groomed he looked.

"The name's Barnes," Bucky flashed a smile at her, "James Barnes."

Ava giggled and placed a hand to her mouth.

"And what, Agent Barnes, is your mission?" she teased.

"Stop Hydr- er, I mean, Spectre before they can build their super laser to destroy... Alderaan or whatever it's called."

Ava raised a finger to point out that he was confusing two franchises, but then thought it wasn't worth it.

"And, of course..." Bucky approached her, "To help the stunning Mrs. Barnes fend off a horde of costumed children with candy."

Bucky extended a hand and Ava took it, and he pulled her to her feet. It was now near impossible for her to stand up on her own, as well as bending down to tie her own shoes, due to her advanced pregnancy.

"Hold that thought, 007," Ava began, "I must fetch my... uniform."

Ava emerged from their bedroom wearing a long, white bedsheet over herself with eyeholes cut out.

"I'm a Ghost. _Boo!_ " Ava joked, and Bucky laughed way harder than he should've.

There was knocking on their front door, and the both of them grabbed buckets of candy to hand out.

* * *

Thanksgiving was now Ava's favorite holiday since it gave her good reason to eat copious amounts of turkey and other assorted foods without regret.

Due to being late in her pregnancy (less than a month until her due date), she felt herself going into overtime mode making sure everything was ready when her daughter finally entered the world. She honestly could not wait, and despite all the discomforts she had endured throughout her pregnancy, Ava was willing to deal with all of it if it meant giving her kid the best start of life possible.

She stopped complaining about the way her body had been changing. Her breasts no longer felt sore to the touch, her odd cravings had subsided (for the most part), and she no longer felt like a whale as she so called it.

Ava stood naked in front of the mirror one morning after her shower, slowly rubbing her hands up and down her swollen abdomen. In the past while working for SHIELD (well, Hydra, actually) she never really cared much about how she looked and only about surviving till the next day. But now that she had been freed and cured of her condition, she could finally live a normal life.

Never in her lifetime did she believe she would ever get to this point, that her body would be used to create life rather than take it. She loved this baby with all her heart, just as she loved her husband, the one man who truly understood her like no other. He was the only one who ever could.

Ava felt the taut roundness of her stomach, smiling as she felt her daughter's fluttering movements, and didn't care about whether or not she would get her old figure back.

"You don't know it yet, but you are so loved," Ava whispered to her daughter, hoping she could hear her. The baby kicked, and Ava knew that she did.

She would do absolutely anything to protect her child.

On Thanksgiving Night after the meal was finished and dishes were washed, Bucky and Ava were resting in bed before being awoken by the sound of shattering glass. Bucky woke up with a start and started scanning the room for threats. Hydra's brainwashing might have been broken but he still had a soldier's instincts.

"Stay here!" he ordered Ava in a harsh whisper. He quickly darted out of the room and discreetly made his way downstairs to see two burglars with crowbars had broken into their home.

Bucky's anger flared up. These guys were fucking dead.

He leapt down onto the first guy and punched him so hard with his vibranium arm he broke his nose. The second tried swinging at him with his crowbar but Bucky dodged, grabbed the end of the crowbar, and smacked the metal across the second burglar's jaw. Before he could attack the first man again, he heard the sound of a gun cocking and a voice say "Don't you fucking move!"

Bucky was about ready to rip this guy's throat out when Ava called out "Wait!"

Bucky's eyes immediately darted over to see Ava standing at the base of the stairs. He was too shocked to tell her to back off, and then noticed she made her left arm invisible.

"Who the fuck are you?" the burglar asked, and he was answered with the sounds of three shots entering right over his heart.

As the burglar fell onto the ground dead, Ava's arm became visible once more to see that she was holding the PPK that Bucky had gotten her. Bucky wasted no time in using the crowbar to kill the last remaining burglar.

Once both men were dead, Bucky and Ava were catching their breath, staring at one another. Bucky couldn't be remotely mad at her for not listening, and instead went up to her and hugged her so tight Ava could swear she was about to pass out.

No words were said that night, but the both of them, terrified as they were, knew without a doubt in their minds that they would do absolutely anything to protect each other and their daughter.

Especially their daughter.

Only a month left to go.

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter will come soon and focus on how Bucky and Ava make it through December, complete with more shenanigans from Scott and Sam, James Bond references, some angst between Bucky and Steve, the Holiday Season, and the imminent arrival of Baby Barnes.
> 
> Merry Christmas!


End file.
